Saturday, September 27, 2014

What's wrong with San Diego's plan to extend the trolley north, along Interstate 5?

San Diego's red trolleys are colorful and popular with a small number of commuters. I like the idea of having a trolley station close to my house … that sounds like as an environmentally responsible nice idea. But "nice ideas" can totally disrupt and destroy a community when they are poorly planned and executed in a way that rewards greed and special interests.

After decades of working behind-the-scenes, with very little "real" community participation, our city and county planners are attempting to ramrod their trolley project before the end of this decade. Development and construction interests pushed for 60' high rezoning, and stand to reap huge benefits from the juggernaut!

But wait … the dastardly plan has been exposed! My neighbors have joined together, today we took action. Hundreds of us marched in protest of 60-foot redevelopment in the zones around the new trolley route. Although I am sure that all of us would welcome modernization of tired 60-year-old buildings, none of us wants to live in a jungle of 6-story stucco boxes. Marchers guided a weather balloon along the route to illustrate what could happen.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Don't get me wrong, I love Costco! They know how to delight their customers, with great pricing, warranties, and $1.50 hot dogs. And they actually hire full-time employees, pay them a living wage, and provide access to a benefit package.

But hey, we haven't even reached the end of summer, yet their merchandising geniuses have moved the Halloween stuff to make room for Christmas. It's a very odd feeling to walk through the warehouse and hear electronic Christmas songs!

Monday, March 31, 2014

I noticed these lane markings on the side of the High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on Interstate 5. Does anyone recognize this odd combination of a solid white PLUS double-solid-yellow? What does it mean ... if I cross it for any reason will I have to pay a $2,000 fine?

I went to the California DMV website. There is no way to ask a question via the Internet. Their website links to the drivers' handbook, but that scholarly work does not answer this question.